Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog.

Chapter 18: Tracking the Emerald in a forest.

I walked down the street, the comfortable cold air swept across me, as the sun shined down. Relieving me of these thoughts that had been bothering me.

Once I reached the small set of buildings where Miles lived I stopped and looked around.

Everything seems to be in one piece…

I started up the cement path that led up to their front porch and knocked on their door, waiting for his grandma or Cream to open it. But who opened it caught me by surprise.

"Sonic about time you got here, come on!" It was Dart; he reached his hands out and grabbed me by the shirt yanking me in.

"Nice to see you too, Dart," I groaned pushing his hands away.

He crossed his arms glaring at me, "What happened to you? I went by your school and the school was a wreck."

"I had a surprised meeting with an old friend of your tribe," I stepped past him, "Don't worry you wouldn't know him."

That stopped Dart from asking anymore questions for now. We stepped into the garage, I closed my eyes in fear of what I might see… and when I opened them I saw something surprising: Miles was sitting on the couch as a human, but still with the two tails.

"You're still human?" I asked walking around him.

"You act so surprised," Miles crossed his arms as the tails whipped around.

"Well… it just…" I tried to think of what to say, but nothing came so I gave up and turned to Dart. "Why isn't he transformed and why are the tales still there?" I pointed to the tails and Dart shrugged.

"Oh they're not real," he answered making me raise an eyebrow.

"Not… real?"

"Oh yeah, watch," he walked over and grabbed the tails yanking them into the air; Miles was still attached to them.

"Yeah I can tell," I said with sarcasm as he lifted Miles up and down trying to take off the tails.

"Here help me out," Dart said, "You grab the hands and I'll pull from the tails."

I walked over grabbing his hands and started to pull.

"Hey, hey, stop!" Miles yelled as we pulled.

Then a voice finally called out to us making us drop him.

"Put the kid down," I turned my head to see Tikal, hands on her hips a slightly confused look on her face, "What are you doing to him?"

"I, uh, we were just…" I smirked looking at Dart, "Dart can explain better then I can."

"I can!?" He looked over at me I backed away leaving her to glare at Dart he turned to her, "Oh yeah, we were just trying to help him."

"They were trying to rip me to pieces!" Miles called from the ground.

"We're not!" We both yelled.

"Okay all of you shut up!" She yelled we stopped yelling at each other, "Do not pull his tails, they are real."

"Then why hasn't he transformed yet?" Dart asked.

"Maybe it's taking longer, but pulling them won't help," she scolded, "Do you understand?"

We sighed deeply and answered, "Yes."

She smirked, "Good now are all of you ready?"

I nodded, but Dart and Miles seemed confused.

"Are we ready to do what?" Dart asked.

"To track the next emerald of course," Tikal giggled.

Miles smiled, "Great! Which one are we going after this time?"

"The one in the Rainforest," I said and Miles nodded walking over to his control panel.

"I'll send the Tornado up to try to find it," he said clicking some buttons.

I nodded turning on the world tracker and mentally mapping my way.

"Okay, I've mapped myself there, I'll head out when you are ready," I said turning to the others.

"Sonic, who says you are going alone?" Tikal asked.

I paused then answered, "Because I have been for a long time now."

"Yeah well we are going this time," Dart said walking over to me.

"You… are?" I asked the two.

"Yes, we are," Dart said one more time.

I raised my hands into the air and smirked, "Alright, alright."

"Hey guys I think I found it!" Miles called over to us, we walked over as photos printed, "Take a look at this."

He pointed to a cave, with a yellow and purple glowing light. Oddly there was no trees growing around so the cave was easy to see.

"It could be anything, but that's our best lead," Miles explained.

"Alright thanks, Miles," I turned to the others, "Ready to go?"

Everyone nodded and Tikal stepped forward.

"I can warp us to a safe distance," she said holding the blue emerald.

I nodded as Dart and I stepped near her, she held up the blue emerald as it started to glow.

"Chaos control!" She yelled as a soft blue light covered us.

The blue light started to fade, the feeling of the cool air that filled Miles's house was quickly changed to a wet, humid air that clung to my skin.

I looked around to see mass trees all around me, many not native to New York.

"We're here…" I said quietly.

Dart nodded scanning the area as I did, "How far from the cave do you think we are?"

"I don't know…" I shrugged, "I suppose we'll just have to wait for Miles to contact us."

"Straight ahead…" Tikal said pointing through the thick forest.

I looked over her shoulder trying to spot it.

"I don't see it… how can you tell?" I asked.

"I don't need to see it, I can feel it," Tikal answered walking forward.

I looked at Dart and he shrugged, we walked forward into the thick forest, although I couldn't shake the feeling that something was right behind us…

Miles watched the computer screen with a bored look on his face.

"They seem to be finding their way to the cave perfectly… I'm so bored," he yawned then looked back at the computer and froze.

There was a man right behind Sonic and the others, and ahead of Sonic was something that was obscured by a dark shield.

"I got to tell Sonic!" Miles said reaching for his communicator

When he put it to his ear all he heard was buzzing, loud buzzing.

"Something's jamming the communicator…? But how?" Miles asked his eyes centering on the black shield that was ahead of Sonic, "What's going on over there…?

"Ah damn! I HATE this place! If they want the emerald here they can keep it, it's nothing but mass trees, wet air and-" a giant mosquito landed on my hand and bit me, "BUG! BIG BUGS!"

I smacked it away quickly giving a deep growl.

"This place isn't so bad, Sonic, you're just used to a city…" Tikal said moving a leaf away, "Like the flowers, you don't see these in New York."

"I don't care, let's just hurry up and grab this emerald…" I whined wiping sweat off my forehead.

"You know what I really want?" Dart said a dark glare on his face.

"What?" I asked looking over.

"FOR YOU TO SHUT UP!" Dart yelled smacking me over my head.

I covered my head kicking back but missing, "Keep your hands to yourself, jerk!"

Suddenly Tikal stopped quickly making me run right into her toppling onto her which made Dart topple onto me.

I tried to squirm out of Dart's unusually heavy body, but paused noticing how wrong this looked. I shook my head and got up when Dart did I helped Tikal up who looked stunned, she looked back and forth as if looking for something.

"What's wrong, Tikal?" I asked noticing her distress.

"I can't sense it, it's like it suddenly vanished!" She yelled with a panicked face.

I looked at Dart with a worried face and he seemed to return it with an equally worried face.

"Don't worry, I'll just contact Miles and get directions," I said trying to calm her down.

It didn't seem to work so I just pulled out the communicator and spoke into it.

"Hey, Miles do you hear me?" I asked once and I got nothing back but static, "Hello? Anyone?"

"Give that to me, you're not doing it right," Dart grabbed it from my hands, "Miles, answer!"

Nothing seemed to speak back which only angered Dart.

"Alright you little yellow fox, if you don't answer me I swear I'll rip you to pieces!" Dart threatened but nothing spoke back, "Fine, I didn't even want to speak with you!"

Dart threw it into a tree breaking into many little pieces, my jaw dropped and I glared at him.

"Smooth! Now well definitely find our way to the emerald now, idiot!" I yelled making Dart grab me by the shirt.

"Cram it, rat!" He yelled and I grabbed him back.

"NO YOU CRAM IT!" I yelled.

"Sonic…" Tikal said making me let him go and look at her.

"What's… wrong…" I said but noticing what she was motioning to, right in front of us was two emeralds one yellow one purple.

Dart saw this and gasped in shock, "That was easy! Now let's grab them and leave!"

"No complaints there!" I said stepping forward and grabbing them, something wasn't right though.

"Put that emerald down, Sonic…"

"…that voice…" I turned sharply and gasped, it was Chaos or Andrew and the person he was controlling, Doctor Robotnik.

Tikal and Dart quickly went to my side ready to battle him when a third party entered.

"Put the emerald down and step away…" I looked over and saw a man in a dark cloak, he was surrounded by two others carrying guns that I've never seen and one thing that made shivers go up my back that their eyes were bright green.

I held the emerald tight to my side looking between Chaos and the new group of… things.

I touched my blue emerald and turned on the device I was given a blue light washing over me.

"No… I think I'll keep it…" I said trying to keep a stern face.

"Fine then… kill them all, including Chaos!" they aimed their guns at the four at us, I took in a deep breath and prepared for the battle… this was going to be interesting…

Wooooowwwwwwwwww, such a quick update huh? *Cough* yeah not funny. So sorry, I suppose I should give a good reason why it's taken awhile. Okay here it is: big ass ants, man they're everywhere stole my chapter and all this time I've been chasing them! … Alright, here's the real reason.

Not to long ago I got into a manga/anime called Bleach, I got addicted to it, waking up early to read the new issues, watching every episode for the English ones, buying games that only came out in Japan… I totally blame Faermage for making me watch Bleach, so send hate mail to her… just kidding. That's excuse one, the next one is it was my birthday not to long ago. So there, I'm sorry, and remember, it was Faermages fault… jk.